The instant invention relates to novelty items and more particularly to a simulated suspended animation biosphere assembly which is adapted to be readily assembled and later rearranged by a user to provide a realistic and readily changeable biosphere-type display.
Biosphere assemblies, such as aquariums and terrariums, have generally been found to have significant levels of appeal. Artificial biosphere assemblies, such as artificial aquariums containing artificial fish and/or plants, have also been found to have high levels of appeal, although, for the most part, artificial biosphere assemblies have been found to have significantly less appeal than actual aquariums and the like containing actual living plant life and/or fish. Although the reduced appeal for artificial aquariums and the like has generally resulted from the fact that actual living fish and plants are generally more interesting for observers to view than artificial fish and plant life, it is also partly because most artificial aquariums and the like are not adapted to permit users to rearrange or reassemble components in suspended animation therein. For example, artificial aquariums containing water as an environmental medium generally do not permit items, such as artificial fish, to be suspended in stationary relation therein, and artificial aquariums containing simulated environmental media made from solid materials, such as transparent plastic materials, generally do not permit users to rearrange items, such as artificial fish and the like, therein. Nevertheless, artificial biosphere assemblies containing water and/or solid materials as environmental media have maintained a significant level of popularity as a result of being essentially maintenance free biospheric units. Examples of previously available biospheric assemblies of these types are disclosed in the U.S. Pat. Nos. to Levy et al., 2,773,175; Kelly, 179,853; Tamada, 4,582,498; Grun, 287,347; McClellan, 327,233; and Kraselsky et al., 336,061. However, since these biosphere assemblies either comprise water, air, or a solid transparent material as an environmental medium, they are not adapted to permit elements, such as artificial fish and the like, to be movably suspended therein.